Fuel the Pool on Giving Tuesday, Dec 1st

Swimming across a clear blue pool, feeling free and empowered. It’s almost like flying. Too many children in the City of Alexandria never get the chance to experience it. An estimated 7,500 school-age children in Alexandria don’t know how to swim, and if they are lucky enough to know how, they don’t have affordable, accessible pools to visit. We can change that. We can give our community access to quality public pools for everyone–but we need your help.

Advocates for Alexandria Aquatics (AAA), a non-profit organization with a mission to improve the aquatics facilities in Alexandria, believes that access to quality public pools is a vital part of any community. In collaboration with the City, which has already allocated $20 million, AAA has pledged to raise $2.5 million in private sector funds to build a new 50-meter multipurpose pool at Chinquapin Recreation Center.

To reach our ultimate goal, we need community-driven action this Giving Tuesday, December 1. Our goal of raising just $3,000 from individuals in the community on Giving Tuesday will help AAA to attract larger corporate gifts and grants needed to reach our $2.5 million goal. It’s easy. You can give online and your gift is tax-deductible.

Why support public pools? It’s a great investment.

Currently, in a city of 148,000, there is just one year-round aquatics facility and only two summer pools with limited hours.

Too many from our community drown each year or are at risk for drowning because they lack basic water safety skills.

Public pools provide a wonderful place for families of all ages to gather and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Up-to-date aquatic facilities allow folks of all backgrounds, abilities and incomes an affordable, comfortable, nurturing environment in which to learn or simply enjoy a life-saving skill.

If you build them, they will come. We believe attractive, well-maintained facilities are vital to the health and well-being of our community.

Swimming is a lifelong activity that promotes dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship. Water therapy and other aquatic activities promote healing and longevity.

We’ve already seen results from our efforts!

In just a short time, AAA has worked with the city to rebuild Warwick pool, a once crumbling facility on the verge of permanent closure. The newly rebuilt pool, which will open in 2017, will serve the growing number of families and children in the Warwick, Del Ray, Arlandria and North Ridge neighborhoods.

AAA partnered with DASH bus services, sponsors and the city to provide free bus service from the East End of Alexandria to Old Town Pool in summer 2015 so that our under-served population could enjoy outdoor swimming.

AAA has played an integral role in bringing the City of Alexandria into USA Swimming Foundation’s Make A Splash initiative to provide learn-to-swim opportunities to minority children.

And our work will not be done with the new 50-meter pool at Chinquapin. We pledge, in partnership with the City of Alexandria, to:

A suggested $50 donation will get you our custom AAA “Fuel the Pool” car magnet. That’s $50 for a 50-meter pool at Chinquapin. That’s $50 to get 50 more kids to learn water safety. Invest in the health of our city. Help us Fuel the Pool so that our community enjoys the benefits of extraordinary aquatics facilities. Give today!